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ALEX THEOS: I also
teach a freshman seminar

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of about 16 to 20 students.

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And we really do
aggressively implement

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a number of different
exercises fairly early

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on because these are freshmen.

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Quite different from
seniors who are a lot more

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comfortable in their
own environment

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and have different challenges.

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For the freshmen, they
really don't know each other.

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And they really
also aren't perhaps

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as aware that they're
all freaking out

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about the same types of issues.

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That they're all freshmen,
they're all in the same boat.

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And so we purposefully do a
lot of exercises and activities

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so that the students get to
know each other pretty well

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and can become comfortable
in that seminar environment

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as quickly as possible.

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For the seniors, the
challenges really

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are that they really have
one leg out the door already.

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Certainly second
semester seniors,

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if they're already in
graduate school programs,

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maintaining that level of
engagement in the moment

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and in the course material
can be kind of challenging.

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But I think if you're very
well aware of that there's

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lots of ways that
you can make sure

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that the students are engaged.

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For example, we
incorporate and give

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ownership to the
students in dictating

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a lot of the course content
in the senior seminar.

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We have opportunities to discuss
with co-instructors from quite

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different disciplines.

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Current topics within
the biomedical sciences

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that perhaps the
students haven't

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had an opportunity to engage
with in the curriculum

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up to this point.

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We want to give them an
opportunity before they

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graduate to take on
some of these issues

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if they haven't been able to.

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And so we're continuously kind
of canvassing the students

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and soliciting their input.

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So as seniors, they
feel very much partners

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in the organization
and the structure

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and the content of that seminar.

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And I think that's really
critical in maintaining

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their engagement.

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As I said, because
they're ready to kind of

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move on to their
next port of call.

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This is really giving
them an opportunity

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to prepare very well for what's
coming in a graduate school

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environment.

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Specifically focus
on science students,

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who might not have
taken very many

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small seminar, predominantly
discussion based,

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primary literature
reading coursework.

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This is really
what they're going

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to be doing a lot of
in graduate school.

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And so giving them an
opportunity in a small class

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environment with
a ton of feedback

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on their oral presentation
skills, for example.

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Leading discussion of highly
technical information.

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It's really very easy to
see the level of confidence

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that these students get even
in the space of one seminar

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when they're really
thrown into the deep end

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and asked to do something
that they haven't really

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done a lot of before.

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And it's really quite amazing
exactly how much they grow

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and how much they clearly learn
predominantly with regards

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to their academic skills.

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That's going to prepare
them, I think, very well

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for their next step.

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